I went up to Habberstad MINI to see my MA, Maureen. I hadn’t called her in advance to tell her I was coming, but she had a few minutes after a customer pick-up of an ’07 Cooper, so she took me out for a test drive.

I wanted to check out a car with a clutch and a manual tranny, so an S it was, as the Coopers are automatic only, until about April.

Keep in mind that I am very visually oriented, and my views expressed here come primarily from that angle. YMMV.

Let’s back up a bit first. Many have written that the car had to be seen in person as it was different from the pictures: ‘it looks better in person’; ‘you can’t tell them (53 and 56) apart in person’; etc. None of this is true. The 56 looks the same in person as it does in the pictures. It looks completely different from the 50/53 (henceforth referred to as the 53) Yes, it’s still a MINI, but it is a completely different car.

The reported problem-area bonnet-to-arch gap was acceptable on some cars and too big on others. And it wasn't dependent on color. There was a Liquid Yellow 'S' in the showroom (what a great color!) that had an acceptable gap. The Laser Blue car I drove had wider than optimal gaps, imo. Either this is a variable tolerance, or it’s adjustable.

The feel of everything on the car – door pulls, latches, was first-rate – firmer and/or more solid than on a 53. Everything except the bonnet. When I released it and swung it up, it felt like aluminum foil compared to a 53 bonnet.

I still don’t care for the restyle. The bug eye headlights and swollen front end are still overblown. The taillights are too fat. The repeater grills are just tacky. The car is too boxy. It looks like it’s approaching the crossover category from the car side, instead of from the truck side.

The S I drove had the standard 195-16 wheels and tires. They looked lost in the wheel wells. The 17s on another car looked like they fit better. The 53 does not have this problem.

I still don’t like the new art-deco interior. The seats were very comfortable. But the new car’s interior doesn’t feel as visually comfortable to me as the 53. The 53’s interior seems to hug me. The 56’s interior is just there. Maybe that’s part of the homogenization of the car. More people will buy it if it feels roomier, which it does slightly, but significantly enough to notice. It doesn’t feel as much like a sports car anymore from the driver’s seat (but it does run like a sports car – see below). BMW wants to sell more cars, and more people will buy them if they look and feel a little bit more like everything else out there. Makes good business sense.

The push button starter was cute but certainly no deal maker/breaker.

I was ready for a weird, no-feeling clutch engagement, as others have noted that there is some engagement-feel missing. I had no such problems with the clutch. Every gear-change was smooth and effortless. The shifter was snickety-snick sharp - better than the 53's.

The steering, however, felt sort of disconnected. There was a lack of feel from the wheel in side to side movements. The car handled great, but the steering did little add to the enjoyment of the feeling of driving the car.

When I pulled out of the car’s parking space, and then out of the dealership’s lot onto Rt. 25, I was taken aback at how gutless and juddery the power plant was. Maureen reminded me of the ‘sport’ button and pushed it. Holey moley, the turbocharged S, with the Sport mode engaged, is stupid-quick! It still rides like a MINI – sharp handling, little-to-no body roll, responsive steering, and the brakes! The brakes are haul-me-down-right-now-with-no-drama great.

I’m not sure what the deal is with that Sport button. It literally cripples the car when the Sport mode is off, perhaps making it easier for the average (non-enthusiast) person to drive on the street. The difference between on and off is huge. I don’t think I’d be able to resist ripping around with it on all the time.

So, am I ready to trade in my ’05 for an ’07? No. Despite it’s huge speed abilities, I was not moved to trade my car in for a new 56 S. Visually, the 56 does not do it for me. In fact, there is not one part or angle of the 56 that does not look worse to me than the 53. Speed is not my ultimate goal. I have my own version of compromise. I bought a Cooper, not an S, for a lot of reasons. When the manny-tranny Coopers arrive in April, I will drive one and see how much different a 56 Cooper is from my 50.

I told Maureen after the test drive that I walked in ready to hate the car, but as it turned out, I didn’t. It was very impressive in a cold kind of way. Make no mistake, the car does everything well, and still basically looks and feels like a MINI. For the masses, that will be fine and good, but overall, the car just didn’t give me a warm fuzzy, something my R50 Cooper still does every time I get in it, even after almost two years of ownership.

Zip

 

Fair and Balanced!

 

Thanks for sharing your test drive impressions. Did you notice any difference in the steering feel with the sport button on or was the difference mainly felt in the throttle?

 

Sport Mode effects both steering and throttle.

It is amazing (well maybe not) how differently folks can percieve R56 from a styling perspective. Not good or bad...just interesting and worth respecting.

I think long-term we perhaps risk making too much of the whole "masses" and "enthusiasts" thing...seems lots of hard-core enthusiasts 'round these parts are liking R56 pretty well. Some don't though...and that's fine.

 

"Let’s back up a bit first. Many have written that the car had to be seen in person as it was different from the pictures: ‘it looks better in person’; ‘you can’t tell them (53 and 56) apart in person’; etc. None of this is true."

None of this is true for you.

Thanks for the write up.

dean.

 

With the Sport button engaged, the steering wheel felt like it required just a bit more effort, but it felt fairly dead in both modes.

Zip

 

Thanks for your review it is appreciated. I would not agree with much of your opinions regarding the visuals, but those are your opinions and I appreciate that you shared them.

 

[quote=reelsmith.;1388463]I had stated, in the paragraph just before the one you quoted, that these were 'my views.' I didn't think I had to repeat it in every sentence/paragraph.

You're welcome.

Zip

 

With the sport button off, the steering is more overboosted (Easier for parking manuvers, etc) and the throttle more "relaxed".

In the Cooper with the button off, the steering felt like a Toyota Camry.

Button off = Toyota Camry

Button on = MINI

 

[quote=erickvonzipper;1388472]Fair enough.

dean.

 

I expect to use both on my R56 Cooper as it is a daily driver and (in spite of my vivid imagination) I am not Paddy Hopkirk. Coopers always has a bit of a split personality anyway...they could be driven mild or wild. As an extension of this, I like the new configuration just fine.

 

Like I said in another thread, I enjoyed the Cooper test drive a lot. For its intended use (urban warrior) the car is boss.

Basically, our Clubman will be a longer wheelbase Cooper automatic. Great family car and fun to drive.

 

Well...anyone who's said "you can't tell them apart in person" is either blind, or overstating and trying to say "they really look very similar in person" or "you can't tell them apart at a quick glance".

As for "it looks better in person", yes, that's personal. Most things look different in person. For some it will be better, for some worse.

 

Right on for the write up!!
i feel the same about the looks of it, but can't wait to see one r56 at AMVIV!!

 

I find them similar but easy to tell apart in person, especially if you are looking at the nose ...the grille is a dead give away.

I was at my dealer on Saturday and they have four R56s on the lot mixed in with a dozen or so R53s. It was fun to watch the MAs have to tell some of the customer's "No, that's an old one, this is the new one".

dean.

 

Yeah, I was there over an hour all together, and I was struck by how many people didn't know or care about the fact that the 07's are so different from the previous cars. That's why the car will be a sales success. Because people have an idea in their minds about what a MINI is, and the new car is a MINI. When more people come away saying how roomy and comfortable it is, in addition to its impeccable rroad manners, it'll be full-board Bingo!

Zip

 

Did the car you drove have a sunroof? If so did you notice any wind noise?

 

Sorry, no, the car did not have a sunroof.

Zip

 

Okay, most of what you say is opinion, which you are certainly entitled to, but why would someone possibly think that the color of the car would have anything to do with panel gap variances????????

 

Yes, I did say that the very same thing. You make it sound like it's a bad thing.


EVZ: << Keep in mind that I am very visually oriented, and my views expressed here come primarily from that angle. YMMV. >>



The color reference was partly to do about a black '07 that was pictured earlier. I assume that everyone that comments on a subject reads everything that has been posted about it before commenting.

Earlier, in this posting of the black '07, the gap was virtually invisible because the paint, wheel arch, and the gap itself are all about the same color - black. My comment about the yellow and blue cars just shows that the gaps can be different. The cars just happened to be yellow and blue, and the colors had no bearing on the gaps. As I had stated, 'it wasn't dependent on color.'


EVZ: << The reported problem-area bonnet-to-arch gap was acceptable on some cars and too big on others. And it wasn't dependent on color. There was a Liquid Yellow 'S' in the showroom (what a great color!) that had an acceptable gap. The Laser Blue car I drove had wider than optimal gaps, imo. Either this is a variable tolerance, or it’s adjustable. >>


Zip